Courtney Allison Moulton

Although this story is outside my usual genre, I genuinely enjoyed it. Ellie felt very real to me as an ordinary seventeen year old suburban girl thrust into extraordinary circumstances and discovering extraordinary things about herself. She seemed a real teenager, not an adult's idealized concept of what a teenager should be. The creatures she faces in battle each have a distinct personality and motivation, which lends more interest than a world populated by generic bad guys who are defined only by their species' characteristics. And I'm not entirely certain all those she's opposing *are* irredeemably bad guys. While developing the mythology of this world and revealing the challenges Ellie faces, the author has been ambiguous - perhaps even devious - and left us with plenty of mystery to uncover in the remaining two books of this series. I'm looking forward to the journey.… (lisätietoja)

Throughout the course of Angelfire I felt conflicted. There's no doubt that I've been eagerly awaiting this title. Death is kind of an interest of mine such as the various world mythologies and practices; usually its one of the first things I try to learn about when I grow interested in a new culture. And the picture Coulton paints is an interesting one, with the affiliation of the 'Reapers' (Demonic and Angelic) and the the different classes (Ursid, Vir, Lupine).

Here's the thing though, to learn more about all that (the Reapers, Ellie's role, etc) I had to get through some of the angstiest teenage antics this side of Gossip Girl. There is a fine line between a teen character being realistic, and having problems that reflect the plot well and add meaning to the overall tension and that same teen character acting irresponsibly just to act so. Through her own actions and the acts of 'nature' (which more often than not included Reaper involvement) Ellie managed to hit every single teen stereotype in this book alone.

Lying to parents about whereabouts for a weekend? Check.
Having best friend cover for you? Check.
Old school friend confessing to you? Check.
Falling for the older guy? Check.
Underage drinking antics? Check.
Totaling car? Check.
Failing grades? Check.

And if I understood the time frame of the book correctly, this all happened between the start of the school year and just after Thanksgiving break. Its not that I don't doubt this can all happen in such a short amount of time, but all of that plus her father's increasingly crazed behavior, training/hunting/learning about her duties with Will, and somehow finding time to attend one party, throw another one and hang out with her friends...I couldn't get a fix on when Ellie actually slept.

I think, at least as far the plot with her father is concerned, I understand where that's leading. If my hunch turns out correctly than it would better explain why Coulton stressed the vast difference between Ellie's dad now and Ellie's dad pre-high school. Until about halfway through the book its brought up every single time he so much as talks to Ellie, so it was hard to ignore. And I'm sorry but I found it unbelievable that Ellie's mom loved her husband so very much that it doesn't faze her to even joke about the possibility that he would kill Ellie in anger. I can think of at least two instances where he is physical with Ellie; I'm not sure abusive is right since he never hits her, but he does grab her roughly and at one point shoves her away hard.

What my main problems with the book boiled down to is this: Coulton crowded this book with so much innuendo, subterfuge, 'big' revelations and 'epic' battles that I was exhausted while reading. Ellie manages to overcome several nasty Reapers before the end of the novel, one of whom is a pretty major big bad from her past life and the final battle has her at least fighting to a stand still with another big bad. It almost felt like she was leveling up each time she killed or fought a Reaper. 'Uh-oh my power wasn't enough to defeat him this time--I should train and gain more experience!'

This isn't to say I didn't enjoy aspects of the book, or that I won't be reading the next book. I will be. The mythology of the world, the world-building and layers of detail, kept me hooked. It was just that reading the book tired me out quickly.… (lisätietoja)

Look, just go into this book with the right expectations. Set your expectations to 'unoriginal story with cliched hot redhead who turns out to be a "speshul" teenage girl' and then you will enjoy it. There are lots of good action scenes against some gnarly demons. I enjoyed her back story about being the reincarnation of an ancient warrior that helps angels in their battle against evil. That's pretty cool right? So if you want a fun, light read then just sit back, quiet the inner literary critic, and read. If not then I look forward to your long and scathing review. Please add some of the dialogue into your diatribe.
e.g. "And every time you die, a little piece of me dies with you.”

and

“He reached forward to cup my cheek, the touch surprising me. "Please understand that no matter what I am or what has happened in the past, I am yours. I am devoted to you above all else, including my own life."
I exhaled after holding my breath for what felt like forever. "That's pretty heavy, Will."

*wipes tears away* that's the good stuff right there.… (lisätietoja)

Teen fiction; angel action/romance. Ellie isn't the normal 17-year-old girl she appears to be: it turns out (a surprise to her as well) that she is the Preliator, a human warrior with the powers of an angel (I would say godlike but given the biblical context of this book, that would be wrong), reincarnated again and again over the centuries to help the Angels battle demon spawn--horrible reapers who claim human victims to add to Satan's arsenal of souls. Complicating matters is Ellie's centuries-old love for Will, an angelic reaper, one of the good guys and Ellie's sworn protector. Their budding romance (at this point in the trilogy, just kissing) is more than enough to satisfy teen and adult readers, which is accompanied by Ellie's mom's responsible warnings: I can't stop you from being a teenager, but please BE SAFE and you can TALK TO ME about anything. Ellie's rebellion from her parents (and later, God himself when she fails to heeds Archangel Michael's warnings about having feelings for Will) may not go over well with all readers, but for fans of supernatural romances, this will be more than satisfactory fare.… (lisätietoja)